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Perez and Abdusalamov put their perfect records on the line in a fight for the vacant IBO Heavyweight Championship.

Ringside Report by Resolution Sports

Mike Perez (20-0, 12) vs. Magomed Abdusalamov (18-1, 18)In the co-feature bout of the night, these two undefeated heavyweights put their perfect professional records on the line in pursuit of the vacant WBC United States Heavyweight Championship. For the entirety of the bout, these two hard hitters put on an entertaining slugfest, with neither man backing down from his aggressive counterpart. The opening frames were fairly even between the two men, as they both had their offensive moments and proved to also have sturdy chins after being on the receiving end of eating some powerful shots. The second half of the fight saw the action truly pick up the tempo, with Abdusalamov having a good start to the seventh frame by battering Perez onto the ropes. The Cuban heavyweight then responded with a heavy dose of offense to back up the Russian, opening a big cut over his left eye. Still, Abdusalamov began to fire back, landing flush power strikes that Perez answered by sticking his tongue out.

Perez seized control over the momentum in the late frames, bullying Abdusalamov and continually walking him down. His Russian opposition still kept himself in what was a close fight by dealing his own offense when he found openings, and a point deduction to Perez for low blows in the ninth round made it even more intriguing when this bout eventually headed to the score cards. At its conclusion, the ringside officials revealed their insight, which resulted in Perez claiming the WBC United States strap via unanimous decision after he secured a pair of 97-92 tallies to go with a 95-94 count.

Ola Afolabi (20-3-4, 9) vs. Lukasz Janik (26-2, 4) In a bout for the vacant IBO Cruiserweight Championship, these two men fought a more tactical bout than what would normally be expected from men of their size, both looking to use head movement while working behind the jab. From the third through sixth round, the high activity rate of Janik seemed to be breaking down Afolabi a bit, but the California resident found his aggression in the seventh frame and began to control the action. He started stalking Janik and firing his punches in numbers to overwhelm the Poland native, seizing the offensive momentum. The 12th and final round of this bout proved to showcase the best action of the contest, with both fighters exchanging furiously before the final bell signaled the end of the match. When the ringside judges then revealed their scorecards, it was Afolabi who emerged as the new IBO Champion via majority decision, countering an even 114-114 count with 117-110 and 115-113 tallies.